Empire's Foundation

Hirelings

Hirelings are special non-player characters who are hired by players for coin. Hirelings will perform only those duties for which they were specifically hired and their actions will be almost entirely determined by the DM (though they will take orders from players and carry out their duties in most circumstances).

Characters are limited in the number of hirelings they can reasonably employ and control, regardless of how much money a character may possess. This maximum number is indicated on the table showing on the right. The type of hireling that can be hired is not considered – so that any combination of hirelings can be obtained, including servants, soldiers, artisans or sages, so long as their wage can be met.

It should be noted that while this limits the number of recruits that can be controlled by one character to the size of a company, characters can take advantage of their henchmen and followers to vastly increase the numbers of men that they can control. Moreover, a single party of high level characters and their attendants could easily mass a thousand hirelings, if they had the resources (and the hirelings could be found).

Hirelings begin their association with the players with standard morale. If they are not being paid, they will quit following orders immediately, regardless of circumstances. If sorely pressed (refused food, wages or transport) they can become troublesome and even threatening. More powerful hirelings will likely carry a grudge if they feel they have been mistreated.

Hirelings will not risk any circumstance for which they were not hired, and will absolutely not risk any situation promising a better than 2% chance of danger or death. If encountering anything unnatural (including aggressive magic or monsters), they will make morale checks immediately.

The types of hirelings that can be hired are left to the imagination of the game’s participants. Hireling costs is determined by the pricing tables found for each specific market location in the game world or in special circumstances by the DM.

Experience Gained by Hirelings

When calculating experience following combat, remember that only leveled characters are entitled to a bonus share of the experience that is awarded.

Bonus x.p. awarded to direct hirelings of any character will be equal to a 12.5% share. Henchmen of hirelings will be awarded 6.25% of the bonus share of experience. Note that this applies only to bonus x.p. The usual amount of experience received for causing and taking damage is unchanged for hirelings.